Ficorpio
Chapter 1
After losing my memory, I forgot I used to be the villainess.
I sent the same apology to everyone in my group chat.
[Sorry, I have amnesia. Could you remind me who you are…?]
Four messages arrived almost instantly.
My aloof childhood sweetheart, whom I had apparently tormented:
[Is this some new way of messing with me? I left your food downstairs. Remember to eat.]
My fiercely devoted older brother, whom I had apparently made life difficult for:
[Are you still mad at me? I transferred some spending money into your allowance account. I’ll come keep you company tonight.]
The designated heroine, whom I had apparently bullied:
[Putting on another act? If you’ve lost your memory, go back to bed. I already checked you in for class.]
I stared at the screen.
What?
Had I been living in some kind of beloved-by-all storyline?
Doctors and nurses moved in and out of my hospital room, the sharp scent of disinfectant hanging in the air.
I forced myself upright, only for the room to sway around me. My head felt stuffed with cotton.
Not far from my bed, a doctor was speaking to a middle-aged man.
“How is she doing?”
“Ms. Bennett’s amnesia isn’t particularly severe at the moment. She appears to have forgotten only certain people…”
I froze as I listened.
Amnesia?
How could I have amnesia?
“I don’t think I’ve lost my memory,” I interrupted. “I remember that my name is Elena Bennett. My father is Richard Bennett, and my mother is Catherine Bennett.”
The middle-aged man turned to me and asked patiently, “Then do you remember my name, Miss Bennett?”
I nodded at once. “Of course. You’re our house manager.”
He fell silent.
After a long moment, his expression turned complicated. “Miss Bennett, I’m your family’s driver. And my name is George Turner.”
I stared at him.
What?
He sighed and turned back to the doctor. “Please take good care of her. I’ll contact her parents.”
From their brief conversation, I learned that I had fallen down the stairs at St. Clair University Library. I had lost consciousness, and a classmate had brought me to the hospital.
Once they left the room, I finally came back to my senses and began searching through my smartphone.
Several contacts were pinned at the top of my messages. If I hadn’t recognized my parents among them, I might have suspected the phone belonged to someone else.
Right on cue, the contact labeled “Coldhearted Monster” sent me two messages.
[Come downstairs in thirty minutes and get your takeout.]
[I can’t be bothered to find someone to bring it up to you.]
I racked my brain but couldn’t remember who he was.
[Are you buying me lunch?] I asked.
His reply came quickly, every word practically bristling with resentment.
[Buying lunch for the Bennett heiress is my duty.]
[But next time you want something from off campus, could you tell me in advance?]
Chapter 2
[Otherwise, I have to stand in line for half an hour and risk delaying your meal.]
He was surprisingly polite.
But this really wasn’t the time to worry about lunch.
[You don’t have to. I’m not eating today.]
For a while, there was no reply.
I couldn’t see his face, but I could almost feel his anger through the screen.
[Is this because you didn’t like the breakfast I brought you this morning?]
[Are you mad at me again?]
I hurried to explain.
[No. I have amnesia qwq.]
His response was openly sarcastic.
[Is this another new method the Bennett heiress invented to torment me?]
I stared at the message.
Had I really been that awful?
Afraid he wouldn’t believe me, I took a picture and sent it to him.
[I’m telling the truth. I’m still lying in a hospital bed.]
A long time passed without another reply.
Maybe he had fainted from rage.
Or maybe he simply couldn’t be bothered with me anymore.
Curious, I scrolled through our message history.
Apparently, Coldhearted Monster regularly bought me meals, collected my packages, and brought me coffee. Sometimes, he even tutored me, helped with my assignments, and let me copy his answers before exams.
My attitude toward him, however, had been appalling.
Every message from me sounded demanding and entitled, as though ordering him around was the most natural thing in the world.
Guilt twisted in my chest.
How could I talk to a classmate like that?
“Elena Bennett!”
The door flew open, and a young man rushed into the room.
He wore a simple white short-sleeved shirt. His features were refined, his bone structure striking. Even the fingers wrapped around the packed meal were pale and elegant.
For a moment, I could only stare.
Some people might lose their memories, but apparently, their weakness for attractive men remained perfectly intact.
So did their taste.
I tilted my head up at him and asked cautiously, “Who are you?”
His entire body went rigid.
Pressing his lips together, he looked down at me. “You don’t remember me?”
I frowned and searched my empty memory. “Are you Coldhearted Monster?”
His expression became difficult to read.
“My name is Adrian Sterling.”
Adrian reached out as if to examine the injury on my forehead. When I stared blankly at him, however, he stiffly lowered his hand.
His voice turned cool. “I’m not worried about you. I just don’t want you blaming me for your head injury later.”
In only a few sentences, he had painted a clear picture of how selfish and unreasonable I used to be.
My guilt deepened.
When I said nothing, he asked quietly, “Do you really not remember who I am?”
Chapter 3
I answered honestly. “No. Judging by our message history, you’re someone who runs errands for me a lot.”
Adrian fell silent.
“That’s not exactly it.”
I looked at him suspiciously.
He drew a slow breath. “We grew up together. We’re childhood sweethearts.”
I didn’t respond.
Adrian added in a detached voice, “Our families also arranged a childhood betrothal.”
My eyes widened. “What? But our messages don’t look like that at all…”
I had assumed he was just some classmate I barely knew.
Adrian laughed, but he looked furious.
“If we didn’t have that kind of relationship, who would agree to run errands for you every day?”
“Who else would go out of his way to buy your meals and save you a seat?”
“But you just said buying my lunch was your duty,” I pointed out, confused.
Adrian raised his eyes. “It is. Isn’t that part of my duty as your fiancé?”
At that moment, George walked into the hospital room. He looked surprised when he saw Adrian.
“Adrian? What are you doing here?”
Adrian rose politely and greeted him. “I came to see Elena.”
George was about to pull over a chair when Adrian’s next words startled him upright again.
“By the way, George, Elena doesn’t believe we grew up together.”
Adrian’s expression remained perfectly calm.
“Tell her. Aren’t we already engaged?”
George’s eyes widened. “What?”
He looked at Adrian’s composed face, then at my bewildered one.
After a long, thoughtful pause, he nodded with a complicated expression.
“Well… yes. You are.”
The first person I’d seen when I woke up was George Turner. He had rushed around handling my paperwork and contacting my parents, so I’d already come to trust him.
And Adrian didn’t look like he was joking.
A secret thrill stirred inside me.
My dream man had suddenly become my fiancé.
Talk about hitting the jackpot.
It seemed that once you fell for someone, even amnesia couldn’t stop you from falling for him all over again at first sight.
When George stepped outside to take a call, Adrian placed the packed meal on the rolling bedside table and handed me a bowl and utensils.
“Eat first.”
I glanced over the food and smiled. “What a coincidence. These are all my favorites.”
Adrian lowered his eyes as he ladled soup into my bowl, his voice even.
“It isn’t a coincidence. You gave me the menu yourself this morning.”
Guilt pricked at me. “Was that a lot of trouble?”
He wiped his hands with a napkin, his tone faintly indifferent. “It’s not as though today was the first time.”
“I’m used to it.”
A wave of sympathy washed over me. I tugged gently at his sleeve. “Then why don’t we eat together?”
Adrian went rigid.
He rubbed his nose and cleared his throat twice. “I only bought one meal.”
Confusion returned. “Don’t we usually eat together?”
He turned toward the window, pretending to admire the view. “We do. I’ve just… already eaten today.”
That made sense, so I let the matter go.
While he drank some water, I ate and chatted away.